


No one knows my story...

by Phoenix8822



Category: Harry Potter - Fandom
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-04-13
Updated: 2018-04-13
Packaged: 2019-04-22 07:35:56
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 19
Words: 13,532
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14303907
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Phoenix8822/pseuds/Phoenix8822
Summary: Hogwarts has been her home for almost ten years and nothing has changed. She's been safe. She's been happy. But then everything changes. Too quickly. She has to run. Run, and leave behind the boy she loves. She swears she'll come back, some day. Because she knows they'll need her. They'll need her to fight. To fight against her father...





	1. Chapter 1

It was the 12th of November when it happened. My birthday. I had just turned fourteen, and was having a thoroughly good day. Fred and George, the Weasley twins, of whom I had been friends with since the day they started at Hogwarts, had given me an enormous hamper of sweets (including Bertie Botts Every flavour beans and chocolate frogs), as well as a large box of pranks and tricks to keep me occupied in boring lessons. Madame Rosmerta, the landlady of my favourite pub in Hogsmeade and my old babysitter when I had been young, had sent me a casket of butter beer along with a gorgeous green dress speckled with diamonds, that she must have bought from Madame Malkin's. Even Albus Dumbledore, the headteacher of Hogwarts and the only one to take me in all those years ago, had sent me a black and silver striped scarf and a single sock (which made no sense to me, but I had learned not to ask). I was incredibly grateful to all of them, but it was Hagrid, my mentor and closest friend, who had given me the most wondrous gift of all. I had woken up that morning to the sound of gentle footsteps outside my window. When I had peered out, not only had I seen Hagrid holding an envelope and a bunch of balloons (which must have come from the muggle world), but also the most beautiful creature I had ever laid eyes on. A hippogriff, with pure orange eyes, a black beak and incredible grey feathered wings extending from a white horses body. On top of the Hippogriffs head, there had been a bow. 

" 'appy Birthday Isabel" Hagrid had said, before pointing to the hippogriff, "I 'ope you like your gift." And I most certainly did. I remember throwing a cloak on over my pyjamas and rushing outside. That was when Hagrid told me the hippogriffs name. Buckbeak. I bowed deeply, remembering all I had been taught, and it wasn't long before Buckbeak bowed too. 

But the real action happened when Hagrid brought his Care of Magical Creatures class to meet Buckbeak. By that point, Buckbeak and I were best friends, and I watched from the tree line as Hagrid led the group forward and introduced them to my hippogriff. I saw Hagrid explain what to do and call a boy with messy black hair and green eyes forward. Harry Potter. I knew it was him without having to see the scar. Harry bowed to Buckbeak, and Buckbeak bowed back. Before long, Hagrid had lifted Harry onto Buckbeak's back and they were soaring into the sky. I knew how that felt. Buckbeak had taken me on a flight that very morning, and skimming my fingers across the lake surface had been one of the best moments of my life. When they finally came back, and Harry dismounted, Hagrid introduced three other hippogriffs (who had also been introduced to me that morning) and was about to set the class off working when something strange happened. A boy, with white hair that hung around his grey eyes, and a nasty smirk strode forward. I saw him approach Buckbeak. I heard him insult my hippogriff, and I saw Buckbeak rear back ready to strike. I rushed forward. 

"Whoa!" I said, launching myself at the white haired boy, and knocking him out of the way. Then I stood between him and Buckbeak and raised my hands to calm the hippogriff down. 

"Easy boy," I said, "it's alright. It's alright." Eventually Buckbeak calmed down, and I bowed before turning to the boy. His eyes were wide with horror (or was it fear?) and he had a small rip in his shirt just below his shoulder. It could have been worse. We locked eyes, and I reached out my hand to help him up. I was well aware of the silence of the class behind me. Even Hagrid was staying silent. The boy got to his feet and stared at me intensely. I didn't know what he was thinking and didn't want to know. So I turned to Hagrid. 

"I'm going to take Buckbeak back home." I said, not waiting for an answer. It hadn't been a question. I placed my hand on Buckbeak's feathery neck, and guided him forwards and through the trees. The other hippogriffs followed. The face of the white haired boy was still swimming before my eyes, and I wasn't quite sure why, but I felt drawn to him. At the same time, I completely, totally, unconditionally loathed him.


	2. Chapter 2

It came to dinner time, and I made my way up to the castle which could never really be my home, and entered the Great Hall. Faces turned towards me as I walked in, but I had come to expect it. I headed straight for the space at the Gryffindor table, between Fred and George. This place was always reserved for me. The thing was, I could sit at any table. I didn't belong in any particular house. In fact, when the sorting hat had been placed on my head (not when all the other students of my year had been sorted, but later that evening in Dumbledores office), it had announced something never heard before. I remember clearly, Dumbledores face when the word "Aloria" had come from the Sorting Hat's mouth (did it even have a mouth?). He had looked resigned, like he already knew that that would happen. From that day, I had always been the mysterious girl that turned up to lessons but didn't have a house. 

The fact was, that I did have a house. Aloria. Aloria was where students went when they couldn't be sorted into a single house. It was founded a few years after the original houses, but it's common room and dormitories had never been used. Until I came along, and I only went in there occasionally. The common room was decorated with streaks of silver and gold along with a galaxy of sapphires, emeralds, rubies and glittering yellow crystals that I couldn't name. The windows were adorned with purple silk curtains and a roaring fire was surrounded by plush silver armchairs and violet footstalls. But I never slept in the dormitories. No. I had a comfortable wooden house in the forbidden forest, close to Hagrid's cabin but far enough away to be completely concealed. That's where I had lived since the age of five, and no sorting hat could move me. Dumbledore hadn't even argued when I had told him I would be staying in my house. He hadn't said a word. 

Dinner with Fred and George was always entertaining, with conversations varying from complaining about a boring History of Magic class, to plotting world domination. I had always been thankful to Fred and George. When they had arrived at Hogwarts five years ago, they had spotted me around the grounds. Despite the fact that I had not been a student then, they had introduced themselves with a few jokes and a load of flirting and we had become really close friends. When I had then started Hogwarts two years later, they had looked after me, making sure that I was treated right despite being houseless, (or homeless in a way). And at that moment, having dinner with them as usual, I realised how much I loved the pair of them. They were no longer friends, they were family. As I came back to reality, I had the odd feeling that someone was watching me. I glanced over my shoulder. Sure enough, over on the Slytherin table, the white haired boy from earlier that day was staring at me. Even when I turned to look at him, and our eyes locked, he didn't look away. The Weasley twins noticed. 

"Malfoy." They sneered, in a very un-Weasley like voice. Malfoy. I thought. I had heard the name, and it didn't exactly fill me with joy. 

"You want us to hex him?" George asked. 

"Yeah!" Said Fred, "We can use that old bogey hex we used on Percy last year!" I laughed but shook my head. Malfoy wasn't doing any harm, no matter how creepy he was. 

I finished dessert without a hitch, but the Malfoy boy's eyes were still burning a hole in the back of my head. As soon as I could, I left the Great Hall with the twins at my heels. We headed down to the Lake and sat on the grassy shore. We laughed and talked until I told them they would get in trouble if they stayed out any later. They both just shrugged, but eventually I was able to convince them to go. And then I made my way back to my house in the dark.


	3. Chapter 3

The days passed by, all the same, melting seamlessly into the Christmas holidays. Most students had gone home for Christmas but Hogwarts was my home, and I always spent Christmas with Hagrid. 

Anyway, it was Christmas Day, and Hagrid and I had had a wonderful morning feeding the hippogriffs (as well as all the other creatures I cared for), and opening presents. There weren't many, but beside the Weasley twins, Rosmerta, Dumbledore and Hagrid, one other person had given me a gift. The card had no name, but the message simply said,

"Thank you, and Merry Christmas."

I didn't recognise the handwriting, but I ripped open the present and saw a beautiful necklace of glittering silver, inlaid with emeralds, greener than any I had seen before. I knew that it could be cursed, that my dark past could have finally caught up with me, but despite that, I brushed my fingers over the delicate silver links. Nothing happened. Heart beating, I scooped the necklace out of it's box and looped it around my neck. I had never seen anything so exquisite. I wondered who it was from, because not just anyone could afford such an incredible piece of jewellery. Whoever had sent it must have been rich, or perhaps just highly motivated. 

That afternoon, Hagrid and I, me still wearing the necklace along with black jeans and a green jumper, made our way up to the Great Hall for Christmas Dinner. Dumbledore invited us all to sit at the teachers table, seeing as there were so few of us, and we pulled crackers, told jokes and drank warm plum juice. Every Christmas was pretty much the same for me, spending it with Hagrid and the remaining staff and students at Hogwarts, but I never got tired of it. The only difference this year, was that, the Malfoy boy, who I happened to know always spent Christmas in his Manor House, had stayed behind at Hogwarts. He was sitting at the other end of the table, the Weasley twins, their brother, Ron, Harry Potter and a girl I knew to be Hermione Granger, separating us. I caught his eyes flicking towards me every so often, flicking between my face and the necklace and then back at his food. I suddenly considered the idea that maybe Malfoy had been the one who had sent the necklace. It certainly fitted. I had saved him from being trampled by Buckbeak, but still, why would he bother? From what I knew about the Malfoy's, they thought themselves better than just about everyone, and would never bother to get someone like me a sock, never mind an amazingly expensive necklace. Dumbledore dragged me back to the laughter of Christmas Dinner when he offered me the other end of a cracker. As we pulled it, it exploded in a flash of pink light, and a flamingo appeared on the now empty turkey plate. Dumbledore chuckled and gestured for me to take it. I just laughed and let the flamingo roam around the table. I would take it home later. 

When I had finished, I left Hagrid and the others with the rest of the teachers as they cracked open a casket of Butter beer, and made my way to the lake. I loved the lake. It was so deep and dark and the giant squid that lurked in its depths definitely didn't promote swimming in it, but I had always been drawn to the water. And the weird thing was, that the water had always seemed drawn to me too. I was able to breathe underwater without the help of a spell, and mermish, the language of the merpeople, came naturally to me. Yes, the water was both a calming influence for me and a source of immense power. If I could learn how to use it. As I sat beneath a tree on the lake shore, looking at the reflection of the clouds on it's surface, I heard soft footsteps behind me. I turned. The white haired boy, Malfoy, stood just a few feet away, staring at me curiously. 

"Um. Hello." I said. He walked forwards and stretched out his hand. 

"Hi. I'm Draco Malfoy." He said. I shook his hand. 

"Isabel." I said. He raised an eyebrow. 

"No second name?" He said. I shook my head. 

"Just Isabel." 

We stood in awkward silence for a while and I wondered why he had come. Malfoy didn't seem to know what to say, but finally he broke the silence. 

"Nice necklace" he said. I narrowed my eyes at him. 

"Thank you." I said. He seemed to expect more than that, so he just sighed. 

"Thank you for saving me from that hippogriff." He said. I nodded and said,

"Your welcome." 

The awkward silence came back. I thought about how he had come to talk to me. Gone out of his way to catch me. I started to speak. 

"Did you get anything nice for Christmas?" 

Draco looked at me and smiled. 

"Lots of things, but what about you?"

I smiled and said. 

"Well I got this necklace as you may have guessed." Draco laughed. 

"Yes. It's a very nice necklace.' He said. Then he hesitated before asking "Do you like it?" I nodded furiously. 

"I love it!" I said. Draco seemed relieved and his shoulders sagged. 

"Well, I'll see you around." He said. I just nodded. He began to walk away but then stopped. With his back still to me, he said 

"Thank you, and Merry Christmas." 

He then walked away into the snow. I thought about what he said. He had already thanked me for saving him so why had he thanked me again? That was when I realised, he had just repeated the note in the Christmas card. My suspicions were correct. Draco Malfoy had sent the necklace.


	4. Chapter 4

The snow began to melt just as the students of Hogwarts began flooding back for the start of term, and after lessons on the first day I spotted Draco Malfoy staring at me. He smiled when he caught me looking, and then turned back to his friends. Fred and George appeared behind me. 

"Isabel!" They cheered, and rushed forward to give me a suffocating hug, despite the fact that I had spent all Christmas with them. The students walking past stared at us, probably wondering once again who on earth I was, but I ignored them. We talked about the holidays, Fred threw stink bombs at passing first years, George dared me to try a mysterious yellow bean that turned out to be lemon flavoured, and we basically got back into our old school routine. But throughout it all, I couldn't help but glance at Draco Malfoy who stood on the other side of the courtyard. It seemed he couldn't help but look at me too, for often our eyes met and I blushed. Any loathing I had originally felt for him had melted along with the snow. It had been replaced with a burning curiosity to know exactly what kind of person he was. Despite the Weasley's warnings not to, in the following weeks of school, I talked to Draco and we became closer and closer. 

One Saturday, I was walking down to the quidditch pitch with Fred and George, to watch them play against Slytherin, when I noticed Draco Malfoy also walking down. He was dressed in the Slytherin team's robes. My mind reeled. I hadn't known that Draco played quidditch for Slytherin, but I suddenly felt rather guilty to be wearing a Gryffindor scarf. How could I cheer Fred and George on when I was also friends with Draco? I put the thought aside, and left Fred and George to prepare while I went to find a seat. I decided to cheer for both, and so I sat right between the Gryffindors and the Slytherins so that I could meld with both. The game began. I watched Fred and George beat off a few bludgers before directing my focus to Draco. He was hovering high in the air, his eyes roaming he field below. He was a seeker, I realised. I watched the game unfold. Watched Harry and Draco both dive for some unseen object at the same time. I saw Harry prevail and heard the Gryffindor fans explode in cheers. I cheered too, but not nearly as loud, escaping as quickly as possible and rushing down from the stadium to try and find my friends. 

Fred and George were already surrounded by students, laughing and cheering and so I gave them a thumbs up and went to find Draco. He was with the rest of the Slytherin team, all in rather low spirits, and he looked angry with himself. 

"Draco." I said. He looked up quickly, and when he saw me, left the rest of his team in the changing rooms. 

"Hi Isabel." He said. His head was hung low and he didn't meet my eyes. 

"You did very well, you know." I said, but he just gave a cold laugh and shook his head. I stood with him for a while, trying to convince him that it was okay to lose, that it didn't matter, but then a voice interrupted me from behind. I turned to see Lucius Malfoy, Draco's father, striding towards us. 

"Draco." He began, anger brittling his voice. He started to say more, before he noticed me standing there. His eyes scanned me. 

"And who is this young lady?" He asked Draco. 

"This is Isabel, Father." Draco replied. I stared at Lucius and fear crept through me. Lucius's eyes narrowed. 

"Isabel who?" He asked. 

"She doesn't have a surname Father." Draco said again. I felt my blood freeze in my veins, and my heart beat wildly in my ears. Lucius scanned me again, staring straight into my eyes. Then his face turned to one of shock, and he stepped back as though he had been electrocuted. 

"You!" He said. Draco looked between his Father and I, confused. My heart had gone silent. He knew. He knew who I was. I didn't stop to try and explain. I ran. 

I ran all the way to my house, not once stopping to look back. I charged through the door and began gathering clothes, food, anything I could possibly need. I glanced in the mirror and ground to a halt. My form was surrounded by a blue-ish glow, like an aura, and my eyes had turned from brown to green. I looked down at my fingers and saw streams of blue light spark from my hands. I didn't know what was happening, so I continued to pack, tearing my uniform off and replacing it with travelling robes. I grabbed my bag and flung it over my shoulder, but when I reached for my wand, it crumbled beneath my touch. I gasped, but had no time to stop and think. I rushed back outside and led Buckbeak out of his make shift stable. I bowed deeply before clambering onto his back. He was just about to take off, when Draco Malfoy came charging through the trees. 

"Isabel! Stop!" He shouted. I tried to ignore him but he dived in front of Buckbeak and held his hands up. He bowed deeply and after a long moment of tension, Buckbeak bowed back. Draco then rushed forward and grabbed my hand. 

"Isabel! Don't leave!" He begged. 

"I have to." I said, "you don't understand!"

"I do understand!" He insisted. "My dad told me everything!" I stared at him, and then sighed. I dismounted Buckbeak but kept him ready. I knew I had to leave as soon as I could. Draco didn't let go of my hand. 

"You're name isn't just Isabel." He began. "It's Isabel Riddle." I stared at the ground. 

"Your dad," he said again, but I cut him off. 

"Don't Draco. Don't say it." Draco ignored me. 

"Your dad was Voldemort." I squeezed my eyes shut. I had hoped to never hear that name again, but reluctantly I nodded. 

"I have to go Draco." I said, trying to drag my hand away, but Draco held on. 

"Why?" He demanded. 

"They'll find me." I said. 

"Who?"

"His followers!" 

Draco stared at me, confused. I sighed and stroked Buckbeak's feathers with my free hand. 

"I've always been powerful Draco." I began. 

"Even as a child, I knew that. You see, everyone knows the story of the boy who lived, but no on knows the story of me." This got Draco's attention, and his eyebrows creased. I tried to avoid thinking about how cute he looked. 

"See, Voldemort didn't die that day. The day he found Harry Potter." Draco's eyebrows creased even more. 

"No, he escaped. He was badly injured yes, and many of his followers believed him to be gone. That's why everything went quiet after his encounter with Harry Potter." I let my eyes lock with Draco's. 

"Hardly anyone knew that he lived at full power for a further four years." Draco's eyebrows shot up. 

"He remained in the shadows, working on some private project, glad that everyone thought him dead. But on my fifth birthday, Father planned to make a come back. He planned to release giants onto the muggle streets, unleash discord within the ministry, all when people believed him dead." I sighed again. 

"But I knew his plan." I said. "And I didn't like it. I didn't agree with what he was doing. And so I stole his wand." Draco's eyes had grown to enormous sizes. 

"I stole his wand." I continued. "And I confronted him. 

"At the age of five?" Draco asked, unbelieving. I nodded. 

"He yelled at me. Told me it was important. He snatched his wand back off me and told me if I stood in his way, I wouldn't get to see the master plan." Draco gasped. 

"I grew angry. I told him I would always be there to stand in his way. And then he threw the killing curse at me." 

"What?" Draco spluttered. I nodded. 

"Shouldn't you be dead?" He asked. 

I nodded again. 

"Somehow, the killing curse didn't affect me. I remember my father's face when I stayed standing, just before I killed him." 

I knew what Draco was going to ask before he said it.

"How did you kill him?" 

"I don't know. To this day, all I remember seeing is a blinding light and then him being gone. I remember his closest followers, Bellatrix Lestrange, your Father etc. being there when it happened. I remember all their shocked faces, but not one of them attempted to kill me. I ran. And I ran and ran until Dumbledore found me and welcomed me to Hogwarts."

Draco stood dumbfounded. We stood in silence for a long time before he finally spoke up, but his voice was barely a whisper. 

"But You-know-who isn't dead." He said. I nodded 

"He can never truly be killed until his soul is gone." Draco looked like he wanted to ask more questions but I held my hand up to stop him. 

"And now you know why I have to go!" I said. I mounted Buckbeak and soared into the sky, leaving Draco, still stunned behind me.


	5. Chapter 5

Draco's P.O.V. 

I watched her fly away on that hippogriff of hers and felt my heart sink. She had gone. Her story had shocked me to the core, but as I stumbled through the woods back to the celebrating Gryffindors and my father, I realised I didn't doubt her for one second. She had been the one to destroy the Dark Lord. She was his daughter. As I emerged from the trees, I looked around for my father. He had disappeared. I suddenly feared for Isabel's safety, and wondered if my own Father would alert the death eaters from his past. I walked up the steps to school, ignoring the jibes from other students as I passed. I wasn't sure where I was going until I found myself before the golden entrance to Dumbledore's office. I didn't know the passcode and was about to turn back around when Dumbledore's voice echoed behind me. 

"Ah Mr Malfoy. Is there something I can do for you?" He said. 

I just nodded and Dumbledore led me up into his office. I sat on one of the chairs in front of Dumbledore's desk and stared at the wood. 

"Well then..." Dumbledore began. "What is it?" 

"She's gone." I said. Dumbledore chuckled. 

"Who's gone?"

"Isabel. She's gone." Dumbledore's smile suddenly disappeared from his face and he lent forward. 

"What do you mean she's gone?" He asked. I didn't take my eyes of the wood. 

"She saw my father."I said. Dumbledore sighed and closed his eyes. 

"I know who she is." I continued. 

"I'm sure you do Draco." He said. And then he consulted the paintings on the wall. 

"Please enlist the help of everyone." He said. "We must find young Miss Riddle as soon as possible." The previous headmasters and mistresses of Hogwarts all proceeded to run out of their frames and probably to various other paintings around the country. Dumbledore told me to go to my dormitory and that he would keep me informed on the search. I made my way out of his office and instead of going to my dormitories, I sought out the Weasley twins that Isabel spent so much time with. They were in the courtyard along with some other Gryffindors, celebrating their victory. I received many sneers as I pushed through the crowd towards them. When the twins saw me, they sneered too, but stopped when they saw my face. 

"She's gone." I said. The twins stared at me. I knew they knew who I was talking about. There was only one person we had in common and that was Isabel. 

"What do you mean she's gone?" Fred said. The other Gryffindors had gone silent, confused on why Fred and George were talking to me and who we were talking about. 

"She left." I said, and the twins began firing questions at me. 

"Why? What? Why didn't she tell us? How did she leave? How do you know? Did she pack her prank box?" I answered as best I could, but when I tried to answer why, I asked if I could speak to them alone. 

As we moved down to the lake, leaving the partiers behind, I told them everything that Isabel had told me. At first they didn't believe me, claiming that Isabel could never be the Dark Lords daughter. But when I asked them how much they knew about her past, they hesitated. 

"You don't know." I said. Their eyebrows creased. 

"So Isabel is you-know-who's daughter?" Fred asked. I nodded. 

"And she's gone because she's afraid his old followers will find her." George clarified. I nodded again. 

"Wow." They said.


	6. Chapter 6

The days turned into weeks, the weeks into months. Every day I would check Isabel's house to see if she had returned. I got into more fights with Harry Potter. Everything was worse without her. It was in those months that she was gone, when Fred and George were struggling just as much as I was, that I realised how much Isabel meant to me. Without her, my life seemed hollow. I didn't even realise that the year was almost over, until I was told to pack my bags for the train home. And then it was Summer. Weeks and weeks of nothing to do. My father got me to attend the Quidditch World Cup, but it did nothing to improve my mood. I was almost glad when school started again. On the first day back, I ran down to Isabel's house, almost expecting her to be back, to greet me with a smile. But no such luck. Dumbledore informed me that they had searched everywhere, but that no one had found her. He assured me that no death eater would find her unless she wanted to be found. And so I dealt. I went to classes. I annoyed Harry Potter. I played the part of the Slytherin Prince. School was just school. Until the tournament was announced. 

The triwizard tournament. 

An inter-school magical competition that consists of three dangerous tasks. The winner receives a cup, 1000 Galleons and 'eternal glory', according to Dumbledore. The Triwizard Tournament was being held at Hogwarts. I was excited. It would be incredible to watch. For a while, the anticipation almost took my mind from Isabel. Almost. 

The day came when the chosen students from the other two schools, Beauxbatons and Durmstrang, would arrive at Hogwarts. The Beauxbatons students arrived in a chariot, pulled by flying horses. The Durmstrang students appeared in a great ship that erupted in the middle of the lake. And the feast we held that evening was great. The Beauxbatons sat among the raven claws and the Durmstrang sat among us Slytherins. I found myself sitting next to the great Viktor Krum. Seeker for the Bulgarian Quidditch team. We ate, we laughed, and then Dumbledore stepped forwards. He talked about the triwizard tournament. He welcomed the other schools. And then he revealed the cup. 

"The goblet of fire." He called it. That was what would choose the champions. Dumbledore talked about the rules, about the risks, and then something amazing happened. 

The doors to the Great Hall flung open, and Dumbledore's voice faltered. A blinding light seemed to emanate from outside and all the students, including myself, craned to get a glimpse of what it was. I looked at Dumbledore. He was smiling, and his eyes flicked towards me. What was it? I thought. Suddenly, the light went out, and a single figure dressed in blue and green robes, with a hood covering their face, began to walk up the aisle in the middle of the hall. The new arrival seemed to glow blue in the light and I could feel the power rippling off of them. Then, the figure removed their hood and I saw it was a girl. She had long black hair that fell in curls down her back, her eyes were sea green and her face was regal and otherworldly. She looked so familiar and yet so different to anyone I could imagine. But then she looked at me, her eyes boring into my own, and she smiled. Instantly, I knew why she seemed so familiar. The girl was Isabel.


	7. Chapter 7

Isabel's P.O.V. 

Everyone's eyes were on me. I didn't mind it anymore. In fact, I wanted it. I wanted everyone to know who I was. In the time that I had been gone from Hogwarts, I had realised many things. I had learnt that hiding from my past would only weaken me, and condemn my future to sorrow. I had learnt that I didn't need a wand to channel magic, I could do that myself. I had also learnt that, for me, the water was the most powerful source of power I could find. In the months I had been gone, I had drifted through the ocean like a mermaid, learning to calm myself and control the water around me. I had become more powerful than my father had ever been, and more knowledgeable than any wizard or witch would ever be in the future. I radiated power, and I could feel it affecting all those around me in the Great Hall. I was powerful. I wanted them to know that. 

"Isabel." Dumbledore said, stepping forward and bowing to kiss my hand. 

"Albus." I said, knowing the use of his first name would tell him all he needed to know about my journey. His eyes twinkled as he stood straight to look me in the eye. I gathered my thoughts and sent them into Dumbledore's mind, letting him witness my journey in a fraction of a second. He saw the dangers I had had to face, he saw the power I had learnt to use, he saw the life I had chosen to live. When I had finished showing him what he needed to see, he regarded me with a new found respect. The Great Hall was still in silence. I glanced around, catching the eyes of Fred and George, who were grinning at me madly, and Draco, whose smile seemed larger than his face. I also noticed some of the other students staring at me in awe. I smiled. 

"It is wonderful to have you back, my dear." Dumbledore said, "But may I ask why you have chosen now to return?" I looked at him before flicking my eyes to the Goblet of Fire that stood on a raised platform behind me. 

"I heard news of the Triwizard Tournament." I began, loud enough for all to here. Then I whispered in a voice only heard by Dumbledore,

"And I had a vision of a future to come." 

Dumbledore stared at me for a moment, before turning back to his students and fellow teachers. 

"Indeed." He said, "The Triwizard Tournament is to be held at Hogwarts this year." I nodded, and moved to stand against the wall, as Dumbledore continued what he had been saying before I had interrupted. Even among the shadows, I felt all eyes on me. No one could resist looking at me, resist the pull of power. I knew I had changed physically too. I knew that I probably looked like an unearthly being to them, and especially to the people who had never seen me before, probably rather scary. I glanced towards Draco and saw him smiling at me. I walked over to him, well aware of everyone watching, not paying attention to a single word Dumbledore was saying. 

"Hello." I whispered, although everyone was so silent, I may as well have shouted. Draco turned to me and took my hand. He didn't need to say anything to let me know he had missed me. We stayed there, holding hands, listening to Dumbledore, with everyone watching and wondering just who I was. When Dumbledore had finished, everyone was dismissed. I stayed behind and so did Draco and Fred and George, as well as basically everyone that knew the meaning of curiosity. Fred and George embraced me tightly, and I could hear the other students whispering. Hagrid appeared behind Dumbledore and I smiled at him. He pushed forwards and swept me up into his arms. I laughed and hugged him back, tugging at his beard the way I had done when I was little. I was welcomed back warmly by all the teachers, before they left to send the students to their dormitories. I was glad to be back. Despite the dire future I had seen. 

Darkness had fallen, and I had finally managed to tell Draco and the twins to go to bed, promising to see them the next day. Then, it was just Dumbledore and me, alone in the Great Hall. 

"You had a vision?" He asked, circling the goblet of fire. 

"Yes Albus, I had a vision." I said. 

"Are you a seer?" He asked. 

"No, but seeing as I'm the most powerful person on this earth, I don't really need to be."

Dumbledore stopped circling and went to sit on a bench. There, he sighed and asked me to explain. So I did. I told him of the darkness, of the graveyard, of the two boys I had seen, of the death of one. I told him of my father. And then I told him where it all began. 

"Here." I said. "The future I have seen, will happen if something significant happens here." 

Dumbledore looked shaken by my story, but he asked if I had any idea what the significant event would be. 

"No. But I saw the Goblet of Fire, and knew that I had to come back." 

Dumbledore nodded. 

"Well, Isabel, your house has been untouched despite daily visits from Mr. Malfoy, so why don't you go and get some sleep." I smiled at the thought of Draco rushing to my house everyday after school and nodded. 

"I don't sleep." I said, "But I'll certainly go home." With that I walked away. Students were still bustling around in the entrance hall, despite the teachers commands. I spotted Minerva McGonagall leaning against the wall with some of the other teachers, having given up trying to shepherd the students to bed. I waved. As I walked through the crowd, the students moved away from me, making an aisle for me to walk through. They stared at me in wonder, and I couldn't help but smile. Fred and George popped out of the crowd and linked arms with me on either side. A few students gasped as though they expected the twins to crumble to dust when they touched me. 

"Well Isabel," Fred began. 

"Welcome back!" George said. 

"Nothing's really changed." Fred said. 

"Same old Hoggywarts." George said. Then he turned to a quivering first year. 

"You know she used to be one of us?" He said. The first year stepped back surprised. I laughed and batted the pair of them on the arm. Then I kissed them both on the cheek and left them to answer a million questions from the surrounding students. I just wanted to get home. 

As I walked through the woods, I listened to the millions of sounds from all the different creatures. At one point, a unicorn appeared from the trees and bowed to me. I bowed back and stroked his neck. After a few more encounters like this involving a thestral, a wolf and a centaur, I finally found myself at home. Buckbeak, who had come back to Hogwarts after dropping me off in the wilderness all those months ago, raced forwards and put his beak against my cheek. I bowed although I knew it wasn't necessary, and then launched myself forward to hug him. The other three hippogriffs also came forward, circling me and begging for attention. I played with them for a while, before heading inside. Dumbledore had been right. It was just how I had left it. Messy from my rushed departure. Everything was how I remembered, except for one thing. On my bed, still in his uniform and sitting cross legged, was Draco.


	8. Chapter 8

"Draco!" I laughed, "What are you doing here?"

He grinned at me. 

"I think we need to catch up." He said, patting the place on the bed next to him. I removed my cloak and then went to sit down. He held my hand and we talked. We talked and talked all night long. Only when the light began shining through my windows did we realise we had stayed up all night. By this point, Draco's arm was around me, and we were cuddled up in the pillows. 

"Isabel." He said. 

"Yes." I said, my heart beating so hard I thought it would break out of my chest. Draco opened his mouth to say something but closed it again. He did this a further three times before leaning in towards me. I stared into his grey eyes, the sunlight shattering them into a rainbow of colours. I could feel his breath on my lips, and then I could feel his lips on my lips. He kissed me softly. As he leaned away, I could see that he was nervous. He didn't know how I would react. I smiled at him, and placed my hand on his cheek. This time, I was the one to lean in. We kissed again, this time harder, more real. We kissed until the Hippogriffs cries for food dragged me from his arms. But we had kissed. And despite the enormous power I had discovered on my journey, I had never felt more powerful than when my lips had been on his.


	9. Chapter 9

Draco's P.O.V. 

We had kissed. We had kissed. I had kissed her and she had kissed me back. We had kissed. As we walked into the Great Hall for breakfast, all eyes had turned on us. We were still holding hands, and people had certainly noticed. I felt like shouting, that's right suckers! She's with me. But I knew Isabel really wouldn't appreciate it. We looked at each other and I knew we had to let go. But I didn't want to. I wanted to hold her hand forever more. Isabel moved away first. Letting go of my hand and moving up the aisle towards Dumbledore. Her hair, once brown, was now black, and I thought she looked even more beautiful than before. Everyone else thought so too. I still hadn't gotten over the fact that she was back. But she was so different. She was more confident. More beautiful. More incredible in every way. How had I managed to fall in love with a goddess? I moved to the Slytherin table. A few of the boys sniggered as I passed and asked me how I did it, but I just smirked and winked, before sitting down on the bench. I watched Isabel ruffle the twins' red hair as she passed before sitting down on a grand high backed chair in the corner. I saw Dumbledore make his way over to her and saw the pair exchange a few words. When they had finished, Dumbledore offered her a plate of food but she refused. Last night, she had told me she rarely ate now. She had so much power running through her veins that the food was unnecessary. The same went for sleep. Unfortunately, it wasn't the same for me. I needed sleep, and after staying up all night, I was completely exhausted. Happy, but exhausted. 

I ate breakfast with my friends, trying to gain some energy, but I never took my eyes off Isabel. No one else did either. Even the teachers seemed drawn to her. At one point everyone just went silent, except for that fool Neville who was too busy talking about some stupid plant, and we all just watched her. Isabel was well aware of the effect she was having, I knew that, but she acted oblivious to it all, sitting in her throne-like-chair, staring around the hall whilst using magic to create streams of colour and water, which circled around her head like a dizzying light show. That's when I remembered that she wasn't using a wand. She didn't need to anymore. Her power was so great that the magic just flowed through her. When I had kissed her, I had felt a small inkling of that power rushing over her lips. 

Breakfast was over and classes began. As I moved through the corridors I noticed more and more people placing their names in the Goblet of fire. In fact, that evening, as I was sitting with Isabel on the benches around the Great Hall, I watched Fred and George run in with an ageing potion. Dumbledore had drawn a line around the Goblet of Fire making it so that only students of seventeen or over, could place their name in the cup. Isabel laughed beside me as we saw Fred and George ejected from the circle, despite the ageing potion, and sit up with long grey beards. She walked over to them and used her magic to shave their faces clean, just as Dumbledore walked past chuckling, having seen the whole thing. I spent all my time with Isabel, or at least, all the time I could spare, and we wandered the grounds, talking and kissing, drawing catcalls from almost all of the male students. It was the best week of my life. 

And then the day came for the Goblet of Fire to choose. To choose the three champions. We all gathered on benches that had been pushed against the wall of the Great Hall, and we sat, impatient, waiting for the Goblet to choose the first champion. Isabel was, once again, sitting on her throne, and I smiled at her as she winked at me. Finally, Dumbledore and the heads of the other schools, entered the Hall and everyone went silent. Dumbledore made some speech about how the champions would be chosen but no one was really listening. Everyone was staring at the Goblet of Fire. At first nothing happened, but then the roaring flames turned blue and a piece of paper fluttered from the Fire. 

"The Champion for Beauxbatons..." Dumbledore announced, "...is Fleur Delacour." A stunning girl with dark blue eyes and silvery blonde hair stood up, shook Dumbledore's hand and made her way to a chamber off the side of the hall. Then came the Durmstrang champion, Viktor Krum. And then it was the Hogwarts champion. 

"Cedric Diggory!" Dumbledore announced. Cheers went up from the Hufflepuffs and Cedric Diggory followed the first two champions into the chamber. I glanced at Isabel. Her eyes were wide but her hands were on her head as if she had a headache. She was muttering to herself. Dumbledore noticed too and began to make his way over to her, when something incredible happened. 

The Goblet of Fire turned blue once more and a fourth piece of paper floated down from the flames. Dumbledore reached out to catch it, but quick as lightning, Isabel got there first. She clutched the piece of paper in her hand and said, wide eyed to Dumbledore,

"No!"


	10. Chapter 10

Isabel's P.O.V. 

My head was pounding. I could feel the the piece of paper crumple in my hand. I could see the shocked faces all around me and the slightly scared face of Dumbledore right in front of me. 

"No!" I said again. Dumbledore stepped forwards. 

"Isabel, we must know what is on that piece of paper." He said. I shook my head slowly. 

"No. I told you this would happen." I said. Dumbledore's eyebrows creased but the other teachers just looked at each other, confused. 

"Isabel." Dumbledore began again. 

"NO!" I said, louder this time, my voice echoing through the hall. I knew everyone was watching me, but only Dumbledore understood. I had told him about my vision. I knew that now was the time. If I allowed Dumbledore to read what was on the piece of paper, I knew the future I had seen would come true. I couldn't let that happen. 

"You know I can't let you read this." I said to Dumbledore and I watched resignation shadow his face. But then someone else stepped forward. Barty Crouch, head of the department of magical law enforcement at the ministry of magic, leapt out of his seat. 

"Young Lady, if the Goblet has chosen a fourth champion, the fourth champion must compete." He said. I stared daggers at him. Dumbledore shot him a warning look, clearly understanding that I did not appreciate being called 'young lady'. Mr Crouch didn't get the message. 

"I don't know who you are but if the Goblet of Fire has chosen, it has chosen. Now pass us the paper." By this point, my stare could have frozen lava. Dumbledore began to speak. 

"Barty, this is-" but I cut him off. 

"My name's Isabel Riddle and I assure you, you have never known anyone like me before." 

Barty Crouch stared at me in shock. 

"Riddle?" He stuttered. The students in the Great Hall all stared at me confused. Except for Fred, George and Draco. They stepped forward in unison and came to my side. 

"If she tells you not to read that piece of paper," Fred began. 

"You really shouldn't read that piece of paper." George finished. Draco just took my hand and squeezed. I didn't take my eyes off Mr Crouch. His eyes were flicking to each of us in turn and then he turned to Dumbledore. 

"Albus! Do something!" 

Dumbledore just stared at me. I stared back, almost daring him to challenge me. He chose the option best for his health. 

"No Mr Crouch. Isabel is beyond any of us. We must trust in her." He said. Barty Crouch looked like he was going to argue but thought better of it. He turned away. 

Just as I thought it would all be okay, the defence against the dark arts teacher, Mad Eye Moody strode forward and snatched the paper from my hand. It ripped, but he could still see enough to read the name. 

"Harry Potter!" He shouted. Dumbledore and Mr Crouch both stared at Mad Eye before turning their attention to a very shocked Harry Potter. 

"No!" I screamed, scaring even Draco who was holding my hand. 

"No!" I yelled again, "This will end in death and disaster! I have seen it!" Everyone stared at me in shock. Even the Twins stared at me, their eyebrows creased, but Draco didn't. I had told Draco everything. I had even shown him the images that had flooded through my mind causing my return. 

"Believe her." He said. It sounded pretty weak but when Dumbledore nodded, everyone nodded. But that didn't stop Harry Potter being led into the side chamber and into the terrible future I had seen.


	11. Chapter 11

Draco's P.O.V. 

Isabel was shaking. I could feel her hand growing dangerously cold and I imagined a spike of ice piercing my hand. But as Barty Crouch began to lead Potter away, I pulled Isabel into my arms. She didn't look at me. Instead she stared at Mad Eye, hatred in her eyes. 

"You'll see," she whispered. The Hall was so quiet that, despite her whispering, everyone could hear, and they were hanging onto every word. 

"The future is sealed." She continued. "And everyone will suffer." I had never seen Dumbledore scared but he looked scared now. His look of terror, did nothing to help the other students' fright. Fred and George came forward to try and lead Isabel out of the hall, but she pushed us all away. She walked, slowly, menacingly, towards Mad Eye Moody and looked him in the eye. She said something that no one could hear and he stepped back, sneering at her. Then she turned to Dumbledore. 

"I do not wish to see my Father return." She said, "And so I will do what I must." With that she stormed out of the Hall, her ocean blue cloak billowing behind her. 

Fred, George and I went to follow her but Dumbledore told us to stay. 

"Approaching her now would be extremely bad for your health." He said, and none of us argued with that. So we stood in the middle of the hall, with a crowd of frightened students, and a table full of very confused teachers. 

"I think we should all be heading to bed." Dumbledore said, before heading off towards the side chamber along with Barty Crouch and the two heads of the other schools, but McGonagall blocked his way. 

"No. Albus, I think you ought to explain." She said. Dumbledore nodded and promised that after he had dealt with the champions, he would explain everything. So we waited. Fred and George sat in the centre of the hall, muttering about something or other but I couldn't sit. I just paced around them, glancing to the doors every few seconds, expecting Isabel to come back. She didn't. Everyone just watched me pace. No one talked. No one moved. Everyone was too shocked by Isabel's reaction to the fourth piece of paper. So we waited. I paced and we waited some more. Finally, Dumbledore, Barty Crouch, the heads, and the four champions emerged from the chamber. The four champions looked extremely confused to find us all still sitting there, in complete silence, but Dumbledore told them all to sit down. And then he made his was over to us. 

"Fred, George, would you please tell everyone how you met Isabel." He said, and the twins nodded. Then he turned to me. 

"And Draco, can you tell everyone what Isabel has told you. I'm guessing she told you everything." I nodded and stared at the floor. Dumbledore closed his eyes and sighed. 

"Everyone, what we are about to tell you, will shock you." He said. "It will probably scare you as well, and especially for you Mr Potter, it may turn your whole life upside down. Please Fred, George, begin."

"We met Isabel five years ago." George began. "She wasn't a student here, but she had been living at Hogwarts since the age of five." From there, Fred picked up the story.

"She had a house in the woods." He said, "She still does, and as well as being her home, it's home to some of the most amazing creatures on earth." 

"We spotted her around the grounds in our first year," George said again. 

"And we instantly became her friend." 

"When she joined Hogwarts almost four years ago, Isabel wasn't sorted into one of the four houses." Fred said. "She was sorted into the fifth." Everyone glanced at each other and muttering broke out. The twins then spoke in unison, speaking over the murmurs. 

"She was sorted into Aloria," They said, "The house for people who are equally brave, wise, loyal and cunning." With that, the twins sat down again, and Dumbledore allowed his pupil's to talk among themselves for a while. Then he held his hand up and everyone went silent. He gestured for me to begin talking. 

"I only met Isabel last year." I said, "I insulted her hippogriff in a Care of Magical Creatures class and she stopped it from trampling me. She saved me." I took a deep breath. I thought about that day and then about that Christmas, when I had given her the necklace.

"At first she hated me, but eventually we began talking and we became friends." I skipped out the necklace part. "We became best friends." I continued, "but then one day, after a quidditch match, we were talking and my father appeared. At that point I had no idea who Isabel really was, but my Father recognised her." I sighed. "She ran, packed her bags and mounted her hippogriff. But my Father told me everything and I was able to catch her just before she left. And she told me her story." I glanced at Dumbledore. He nodded for me to continue. So I did. I told the school exactly what Isabel had told me. I told them that she was the daughter of the Dark Lord. That the Dark Lord had survived his encounter with Harry Potter and had lived a further four years. I told them how she killed him at the age of five. And I told them how Dumbledore had found her on the run, and welcomed her to Hogwarts. When I had finished my story I glanced around. Everyone was silent, even the teachers were in shock. I glanced at Harry Potter and saw him staring at the floor, his eyes wide. I felt a hint of pleasure at knowing his life had taken a shocking turn. I waited for Dumbledore to speak up but then I realised he expected me to keep talking. I didn't know what I was saying, but words began rolling off my tongue. 

"After she had told me her story, she flew away and I was unable to stop her." I said, "But as I stared after her, I realised that she was literally glowing blue. Isabel is the most powerful person on this earth, and while she was away, she learnt how to control that power and now she can do pretty much anything." There were a few gasps, many shocked faces which I had a feeling had actually just been frozen in place since the beginning, and a few terrified ones. I carried on. 

"You all saw her when she returned. You saw her beauty, you felt the power washing off of her, I think we all know that Isabel isn't quite human anymore." As I said it, I knew I was right. She wasn't quite human anymore, she was...

"A Goddess!" I said. "That's what she has become. A Goddess of the seas, wiser and more powerful than anyone has ever been and will ever be." I spun slowly to look at everyone. I knew they believed me. Who wouldn't after seeing Isabel? I looked at Dumbledore and nodded and then sat myself down beside the twins. I felt drained, but telling Isabel's story had helped me understand exactly what she had told me. She really was different, no longer just a human, or just a witch. She was a goddess.


	12. Chapter 12

Isabel's P.O.V. 

I had a job to do. When Mad Eye had taken that piece of paper from my hand and forced Harry Potter into the tournament, I had felt the future lock into place. I had seen exactly what would happen. Death. 

I made my way down to the lake after storming from the Great Hall, and walked across it's oily surface. I stopped on the rippling reflection of the moon and then sat. I sat cross legged and closed my eyes. I focused on my body, felt the air pressing down on it, felt the water pushing up from below, and then I imagined my body's outline slowly disappearing until I was one with the elements. Then I directed my soul through the corridors of my mind until I came upon a single door. It was heavily armoured with thousands of spells keeping it locked, away from my consciousness. It was time to unlock it. It was time I knew exactly what the shell of my Father was up to. 

Dark. Mist. Robes. Faces. Rooms. Corridors. One face. A blur of information. A blur of images. 

I allowed myself time to take it all in. So much was happening. He had so many plans. I needed to let Dumbledore know. My eyes snapped open and I rose from the surface of the water. I made my way back to the Hall and as I opened the grand doors I found everyone was still there. All conversation stopped as I entered and heads swivelled in my direction. I knew I had been the subject. Draco jumped up from where he was sitting on the floor and took a hesitant step towards me. I smiled. Reassured, he made his way forward and enveloped me in his arms. I stood there and allowed myself a moment of comfort. He smelled like mint and chocolate and I felt safe. When I sensed things were beginning to get awkward with the rest of the school watching, I untangled myself and took his hand before walking towards Dumbledore. He opened his arms but I stopped just short of their length. His arms dropped. Fred and George scrambled to their feet behind him and nodded encouragingly at me. I began to speak again, much calmer than I had a little while ago. 

"Your office may be the best location for this conversation." Dumbledore nodded immediately and rushed out of the door. I went to follow when Draco's hand slipped from mine. I stared at him. 

"You're coming with me." I said. Draco grinned and took my hand again. I looked at Fred and George and told them to come too. I needed them all with me. They followed gladly. I then led them out of the hall, avoiding eye contact with everyone. I didn't want them to see the fear in my eyes.


	13. Chapter 13

Draco P.O.V. 

Isabel's hand had warmed considerably since the last time I had held it, and her face, once again, portrayed no emotion. But I knew something was wrong. There was something in her eyes. The dazzling green had dimmed and when they locked with mine, I saw the shadows that had developed beneath them. It had only been an hour since Potter's name had been announced and she had stormed from the hall, but already, the air around her had changed. The power radiating from her form had turned hostile, her hair was now so dark it looked red, like blood. Even the soft ocean hues of her robes had become icy and sharp. On the surface, everything was fine, but I knew that, deep down, Isabel was worried. Dumbledore led us into his office and motioned for us to sit down. I did. So did Fred and George but Isabel didn't. Instead she circled the room. Dumbledore said nothing. Eventually the silence became awkward. Still Isabel said nothing. It was only when Fawkes, Dumbledore's Phoenix cried, that she began to talk. Her voice was barely a whisper and it shook, despite Isabel's efforts to keep it steady. 

"He has plans." 

No one commented. 

"He has big plans."

Still no comment. 

"And I'm afraid."

That was when we all looked up. Isabel was the most powerful person on earth, she had admitted herself, and so if she was afraid, then things had to be really bad. Isabel began pacing again. 

"I do not fear for myself," she said, "but for everyone else." I caught Fred and George glance at each other. Isabel continued. 

"I can't protect everyone. A lot of people, yes, but not everyone." She looked panicked and as she paced past my chair, I grabbed her hand and forced her to stand still for a moment. Any pretences she had held up earlier to keep the school calm had completely evaporated. Isabel was beginning to glow, literally glow, with stress. Not for her own life but for all of ours. I had a feeling she knew how it felt to have the weight of the world on her shoulders.

As my fingers intwined with hers, my skin began to buzz. Dumbledore pursed his lips and considered the news. Fred got up from his chair and began where Isabel left off, pacing the circumference of the room. George watched his brother, fiddling with some strange object in his hands. I concentrated on Isabel. The buzzing over my skin hadn't stopped, and I realised that her power was literally encasing me in a shell of blue light. It tickled. Isabel was frozen. Her chest didn't rise. Her fingers were limp in mine. Her eyes didn't blink. It was as though someone had petrified her. But then, as suddenly as she had frozen, she began to move again, quicker, more urgent than before. She was shaking, darting around the room. Picking things up. Putting them down. Glancing out windows. Not one part of her body unmoving. I caught the odd word of her muttering. 'Pack'. 'Love'. 'I wonder...'. I didn't understand what she was going on about but eventually Isabel stopped. When she did, I was relieved to see that she was smiling. A small smile, strained, worried, but still hopeful. Without a single word, Isabel darted from the room leaving the four of us as confused as ever.


	14. Chapter 14

Isabel's P.O.V. 

I scrambled down the stairs, through the corridors, past the staring paintings, making my way down to the woods, where I could only hope my cry would be heard. I approached the dark branches and they swallowed me up, plunging me into the darkness of the forest. Once I was sure of being far from the school, I stopped. I closed my eyes and pushed my hands out, as though to stop someone. I felt the by now familiar feeling of my blood quickening, of my heart burning, of the sea roaring in my ears. It took merely seconds for my transformation to be complete. Probably less than that. I was now in the form of my spirit animal. My companion in all those months alone. The voice in my head which helped teach me to follow my instincts. I was now the Wolf, Queen of the Moon. 

The trees passed by me in a blur, as I sped through the woods in search of the clearing. On reaching it I stopped and padded towards the centre. Then I howled. I howled to the full moon in the sky and listened for the sounds of approaching footsteps. I was in luck. Five large shadows emerged from the tree line. One was larger than the others, with amber eyes and a chilling growl. The rest stood behind him, smaller and less imposing. Together they formed the Pack. The wolves had come.


	15. Chapter 15

Draco's P.O.V. 

From outside Dumbledore's window we heard a howl pierce the night. 

"What was that?" Fred asked. I glanced at him. 

"A wolf." George answered, batting his brother around the head for his stupidness. Dumbledore said nothing. I had a feeling that it was much more than a wolf. Where was Isabel? If she was out in the forest, with some dangerous creature, she could be in danger. I stopped to remind myself that she could take on anything, but it didn't do anything for my anxiety. 

We waited and waited. The previous head masters and mistresses were all snoring gently in their paintings. Fred and George were lying on the floor of the office, unworried and calm. Dumbledore was quite the opposite, sitting stiff and straight in his chair behind the desk. I was pacing. I counted my footsteps. 1. 2. 3. I reached 1,925 before Isabel reappeared. She had twigs and leaves tangled in her curly hair and her cheeks were pink. I stopped pacing immediately and flung my arms around her. She laughed into my neck and I was relieved to hear that she was genuinely okay. I removed my arms but kept hold of her hand. 

"Albus." Isabel said, calm. 

"Nothing will change what I have seen." She continued and Dumbledore's shoulders slumped with despair. 

"But," Isabel said, "I am prepared." We all looked at her. How could she prepare for the return of her Father? Isabel's smile was wide, and her eyes dared anyone to challenge her. I smiled too. I trusted her. I knew nothing could take her down. Fred and George leaped from the floor and circled their arms around Isabel's shoulders. Then together, we turned to Dumbledore, waiting for his smile. His eyes narrowed and he scanned Isabel for any hint of pretence. He found nothing and soon his grin was bigger than any of ours. 

I slept at Isabel's again. And this time I actually slept. I fell asleep to Isabel's gentle singing and woke up to her humming. As soon as I sat up, she assaulted me with eggs and bacon. I laughed. 

"You cooked breakfast for me?" I asked. Isabel nodded and laughed too. I smirked and began eating. It was delicious. When I was finished, Isabel floated my plate into her mini kitchen area and cuddled up to me in the bed. I breathed in, still not used to having her back, afraid that she would disappear with one wrong move. 

"Are you my girlfriend now?" I asked. Isabel removed her head from my shoulder and stared at me. Her green eyes were hypnotising, and they were boring into my own. 

"Yes." She said. Then she leaned in to kiss me and I felt the same surge of power I had the first time. 

She pulled away. 

"I think I am."


	16. Chapter 16

Isabel's P.O.V. 

I was Draco's girlfriend. It felt good to say. Of course, the word 'girlfriend' didn't exactly cover what I was to him. Nor did 'boyfriend' cover what he was to me. He was everything. If he smiled, I smiled. If he died, I died. I could feel the connection. I knew that was what would happen. But in the battles I knew would come, I promised myself to never allow Draco to be harmed. It would kill me. So I turned my attention away from my excitement and back into my preparations. 

Draco and I entered the Great Hall, hand in hand again, and I felt all eyes turn on me. I winked at Draco and then left him to enjoy a second breakfast. I watched as the Slytherin students attacked him with questions and I watched him answer each one as best he could without revealing anything of importance. I then made my way over to the twins. I sat at my old space between them and I heard the murmurs from all around me. 

"How close are you to making fireworks?" I asked them in a hushed voice. Fred and George looked at me, grins lighting up their faces. 

"Well, my dear Isabel," George began. 

"If you allow us to make a few tweeks," Fred said. 

"A purple bang here, and red sizzle there," George said. 

"Then they'll be ready by the end of next week." They said together. I smiled at the table. This was perfect. 

"I'm impressed." I said, and the twins leaned back, heads held high. 

"You can use the area around my house for testing and you have until Christmas to make them amazing." 

Fred and George whooped and high fived behind me. I smiled and left them to talk over their plans, making my way over to the corner. Dumbledore nodded his head towards me as I passed, and Mad Eye Moody scowled. I smiled serenely. I knew his little secret. Something within me was still battling on whether to inform Dumbledore or not, but in doing so, the future could change drastically and could even end up worse than the way I had seen it. No. I wouldn't tell. It was for the best. I sat down in my usual corner and glanced at Dumbledore on his throne. He was smiling and laughing not giving a single hint that anything could be wrong. I sighed. I just had to keep to the plan. I knew that it would be tough, but I had no choice. It had to happen. 

The weeks passed. The first task came and went and everyone was now focussing their efforts in preparing for the Yule Ball. How arts had never been more full during the Christmas holidays and as Draco and I walked through the corridors we heard many girls discussing dresses and many boys complaining about finding dates. As we passed Harry Potter one day, we heard him muttering to Ron Weasley about how he needed to find a girl to attend the Yule Ball with. I saw Draco smirk and he slowed down slightly and turned his head to me. 

"You're my date to the Ball, aren't you Isabel?" He asked loudly. A few people ahead of us glanced over their shoulders and I noticed Potter narrowing his eyes. I nodded at Draco and laughed, before shooting an apologetic look in Harry's direction. Draco, thankfully, didn't notice, for I knew he hated Harry Potter. 

The day came. Christmas Day. It was snowing and while everyone else was inside opening gifts, Draco and I sat on a blanket by the lake. I used my power to keep a warm bubble around us and we threw strips of chicken to the giant squid as our own kind of Christmas present. I giggled when the squid came to the surface each time to grab the pieces, and Draco chuckled as he watched me. 

"It's been a whole year since we became friends." He said thoughtfully once the chicken had gone. I turned to him. 

"And you gave me that beautiful necklace." I replied. Draco smiled. 

"Have you still got it?" He asked quietly. I put my hand to my neck and pulled he heavy chain from beneath my robes. The emeralds glowed mysteriously against the snow. Draco breathed in and then let out a small laugh. 

"Do you always wear it?" He asked. I nodded and he held me in his arms. 

"I love you." He whispered and I closed my eyes. 

"I love you too."


	17. Chapter 17

Draco's P.O.V. 

I waited in the entrance hall before the Yule Ball began, looking around anxiously for Isabel to arrive. At around seven o'clock, after watching the Weasly's and Harry Potter return to the castle after a furious snowball fight, she had disappeared to get ready and told me she would meet me once the Ball had begun. This promise didn't take the nerves away though. I spent the quarter of an hour before being allowed to enter the hall looking around to see if she would be early. But then the tall doors opened and we all filed in. The champions entered with their partners and went to sit at the head table. I took a seat with Crabbe and Goyle and a few others at a round table in the corner. 

"Look at Potter." I hissed to Crabbe, as Harry Potter tripped over his dress robes. Crabbe and Goyle guffawed and I rolled my eyes. 

First there was the feast and I still saw no sign of Isabel. What if she didn't turn up, I thought. And then the music started and the champions took to the floor. Slowly they were joined by other pairs. Suddenly, I noticed a walkway had appeared through the crowd and I saw Isabel gliding along it. I gasped. She was wearing a gorgeous green dress that went down to her knees, with glittering diamonds creating waves across the fabric. At her neck, bold against her tanned skin was the emerald necklace I had given her. Her hair was piled atop her head and other emeralds and diamonds shone from within the dark curls. Every face turned in her direction. Every dancer stopped twirling just to stare at her. If she had been beautiful before, it was nothing to the way she looked now. I rose from my table and walked towards her, many jealous eyes following me. The music was still playing and eventually the couples went back to dancing. I bowed low as I drew close to her. 

"Good evening princess." I said and Isabel held out her hand. I kissed it softly. 

"You look very handsome Draco." She said and I grinned, still unable to take my eyes off her. 

"You look-" I said and stared her up and down. "A word has not yet been invented to describe how beautiful you are." Isabel smiled and stepped close, putting her arms around my neck. 

"Would you like to dance?" She said. I placed my hands at her waist and that was all the answer she needed. Soon we were swirling across the dance floor with every eye on us. Boys from Durmstrang, Beauxbatons, and Hogwarts alike all came forward to try and steal Isabel from my arms but I didn't let them near her, twirling her away whenever one drew close. Isabel knew what I was doing and seeing as she didn't object, I continued doing it. 

When it was over, when it was time to go to bed, Isabel told me to return to my dormitories. 

"You need sleep Draco." She said, smiling. 

"I sleep better at yours." I argued. Isabel smirked and drew closer to me. 

"You really think you would tonight?" She whispered. I could feel her breath on my lips and her body against mine. 

"Probably not." I breathed and Isabel laughed and backed away. 

"Goodnight." She said with a kiss. 

"Goodnight." I replied and then I made my way back to the dormitories, sighing. 

The Christmas holidays melted away and the weeks continued to pass. Valentine's Day was spent with Isabel, of course, and the second task went by without a hitch (Isabel said she had watched it all from the bottom of the lake and had had a great conversation with the mer-chieftainess). I began to revise for exams but then they passed too and it was time for the third task. 

Isabel and I sat in the stands, and for once, no one was looking at Isabel. Everyone was transfixed on the maze. Harry Potter and Cedric Diggory entered the maze first, soon followed by Krum and then Delacour. Then all we had to do was wait...


	18. Chapter 18

Isabel's P.O.V. 

It wasn't long before it happened. I was talking to Draco, keeping an eye on the maze, when my head began to throb. I put my hand to my temple. At first, it was just a dull ache, but then it began to pound in time with every heart beat. I held my head in my hands and suddenly the pain was unbearable. 

"Isabel!" I heard Draco scream, and I knew I had fallen from my seat. 

"Isabel! What's wrong?" I heard frightened whispers and the yelling of a teacher somewhere to my left. But then it all stopped and I was staring into my Father's eyes. 

He was alive, returned to his body, as pale and snakelike as ever. Harry Potter was tied to a stone grave behind a ring of death eaters, and I saw that he was bleeding. Close by, I saw Cedric, lying spread eagled on the ground, dead. My Father was talking but the words echoing in my head didn't match to his moving lips. 

"Good evening Isabel." He said into my mind, without any of his followers being aware. 

"It has been a while."

"Father," I thought, and I heard a faint chuckle in my head. 

"Did you miss me?" He hissed. 

"You should have died." I thought. 

"But I didn't." Voldemort thought back. 

"Yh," I thought, "and I'm gonna make you regret it." Again, Voldemort chuckled. 

"You think you could ever beat me?" He asked. 

"I know I could." I replied. I felt Voldemort scowl. 

"I am the most powerful wizard in history." He thought. 

"And I'm much more than a witch." I argued back. I heard the hesitation in Voldemort's mind but he didn't say anything more. 

I watched him talk among his followers. I watched him fight with Harry Potter. I watched the gold link between their wands bring back the ghosts of previous murders. I watched Harry Potter break it, run, take Cedric's body and then get the Triwizard Cup. Then the graveyard scene disappeared and I was back among the crowd. 

"No!" I screamed, just as Harry and Cedric appeared in the entrance of the maze. No one could heard me but I charged through the stands and fought to get to Dumbledore. Screams of delight turned to yells of horror as people realised that Cedric was dead. Draco was at my heels. 

"He's back!" I heard Harry shouting. Dumbledore was trying to get him up. 

"He's back!" I pushed between them and turned to Dumbledore. 

"He's back." I said and Dumbledore looked me in the eye and nodded before lifting Harry from the ground. People were jostling me to get to Cedric and I knew I had to get away. Fred and George emerged from the crowd and dragged me away. Then the twins as well as Draco escorted me back to my home. 

"Isabel?" Draco asked once we were all settled on my bed, "Did you see it?" I nodded. Fred and George exchanged looks. 

"Wait," Fred said, "You saw Cedric die?" I nodded again and George put his arm around me. 

"No wonder you didn't want Harry in the tournament." He said, "You knew this would happen." I closed my eyes. I could still see Voldemorts scarlet eyes and slit-like pupils. 

"It was Mad-Eye." I said. 

"What?" Fred and George said in unison. 

"Well, not the real Mad-Eye," I explained, "It was Crouch's son using Polyjuice Potion." Draco was playing with my fingers and kept his eyes on the bed. Fred put his head in his hands and George just stared out of the window. 

"Dumbledore's got him now." I whispered as a flood of images rolled through my mind. I saw Snape give Crouch Jr the veritas serum. I heard every word, every confession he uttered. I closed my eyes and shook my head, trying to bring myself back to Draco and the twins. They were staring at me, concern all over their faces. 

"I'm alright." I said, "But no one else is."


	19. Chapter 19

Draco's P.O.V. 

The year ended on a low note, with a particularly depressing speech from Dumbledore informing us of Voldemorts return. But then we were on the train, heading home for the summer. 

"Will you be waiting for me?" I asked Isabel, before boarding the train. She smiled sadly at me but nodded her head. I had a feeling she was too afraid to promise. I kissed her a goodbye and left Hogwarts behind, knowing that I was in for a very interesting and highly difficulty holiday. The Dark Lord was back.


End file.
